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Dawn of Discovery

EMAIL PRINT pc

8.7 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 32 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 67 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Ubisoft

Developer: Related Designs Software

Genre(s): Real-Time Strategy, Simulation

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older)

Release Date: June 23, 2009

Summary

(Also known as "Anno 1404: Dawn of Discovery") Dawn of Discovery takes place in the year 1404, when King George's land is suffering from severe droughts and brutal famine. Aware of his people's distress, the king calls on his two sons, William and Edward, to acquire new territories in order to produce enough goods to satisfy the needs of his empire’s inhabitants. Whereas Edward suggests aggressive means to collect the precious resources, his brother William offers a peaceful solution, proposing to explore new and unsettled lands in the south of the kingdom. With his Father’s blessing, William heads south to the mysterious Orient and returns with valuable new technologies such as the water pump that allows dry lands to be cultivated in order to produce enough food for the people. But there are still many unmet needs within the king's empire, and players are tasked with the mission of fulfilling those needs while both expanding and sustaining the vast society. Build and sustain your own expansive empire. Explore the beautifully detailed world and discover new places to create your civilization. Set up trade posts in the spice mines of the Orient and explore new trade routes to keep your nation growing. Learn from other nearby cultures to expand your horizons and master the challenges of establishing a prosperous society. [Ubisoft]

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

2404.org

Anno 1404 is the best Anno yet and one of the best strategy games in a long time. Tons of games are addictive, very few of them for the right reasons – but this game is both.

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Gamers.at

Dawn of Discovery is not only the fourth installment of the highly regarded ANNO-series but also the best, offering challenging complexity for core gamers and providing easy access for beginners at the same time. Don't miss this game if you are a fan of economic simulations.

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Vandal Online

Huge, incredibly complex, exciting, addictive, a wonder... we could be remarking the virtues of Anno 1404 for hours.

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PC Games (Germany)

A near perfect blend of west and east, complexity and accessibility - Dawn of Discovery is by far the best economic simulation to date.

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GameStar

100 hours of gameplay without being bored for a second. The developers managed to replace routine with variety and long lasting motivation. Despite all the complexity, Anno 1404 never feels like work, but like one of the best games.

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GameZone

There’s little to complain about with Dawn of Discovery. Anyone with modicum of interest in strategy or city-building games should have a go at it; such an enjoyable experience should not be overlooked.

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HellBored

Requisite whining about copy protection aside, this is a solid title that offers some fun and addictive game play, with lots to discover and plenty to do. It’s ridiculously easy to sit down with the intention of playing for a few minutes, only to look up and see that two or three hours have gone past. There’s a lot of character in the animations, the voice-acting is superb and the setting is fantastic. Dawn of Discovery deserves to be checked out by anybody who has an interest in exploration and the classic city-building titles of old.

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Cynamite

Dawn of Discovery is very complex, but has a boring campaign. The interface is a bit confusing and there is no multiplayer mode. Still, it’s a great strategy game but not as good as the predecessor.

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Gamer.nl

Anno 1404 has excellent production values and gameplay, visuals and sound complement each other well. The eastern theme gives the game a new dimension, without getting overly complicated. It's a great game to start your summer holidays.

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GamingXP

High-level fun and addiction is what Anno 1404 is about. The more time you invest in this game, the more satisfaction you will get out of it.

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Gameplanet

The massive game world and highly detailed units provide hours and hours of entertainment for anyone who can appreciate a slower paced and highly cerebral RTS.

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PC Format

It's a beautiful, compulsive and rewarding world. [Sept 2009, p.99]

Computer Games Online RO

With a level editor and a multiplayer mode, Anno 1404 could have been a front runner in the race for the “Best Game of 2009” award. As it stands though, it’s just the best game in its category, featuring a complex and solid economic system that gives birth to a highly pleasant feeling of having functional and aesthetically pleasing cities.

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InsideGamer.nl

Anno 1404 is a terrific game and will keep you entertained for a long time. It gives the player challenges after challenges, and you won't get easily bored. It also looks really good. The only downside is the lack of strategic elements.

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GameSpot

It's complex and daunting, but this rich game of exploring, city building, and trading is also tremendously captivating.

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Gamer Limit

Anno 1404: Dawn of Discovery is a must buy for any city management fans.

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3DJuegos

Though Anno 1404 has no big improvements in the franchise´s formula, its awesome gameplay makes this game recommendable for those who like RTS games.

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IGN

Dawn of Discovery provides one of the best real-time strategy experiences of the year, hands down.

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AceGamez

Much like its predecessor, Anno 1404 is an entertaining and friendly city building game with astonishing looks and enough content to last long into the winter months; and, again like its predecessor, its combat still lets things down.

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Eurogamer Italy

If you are looking for action and adrenaline, don't wait for Anno 1404. If you're not, its particular gameplay and its development system and atmosphere, could enjoy you at the best!

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Teletext GameCentral

Building your own medieval empire proves surprisingly attractive in terms of both visuals and gameplay.

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LEVEL (Czech Republic)

Complex city building strategy game offers many possibilities to build and conquer new worlds. Anno 1404 looks amazing compared to its predecessors. Unfortunately, the story campaign and combat system bring things down. [Aug 2009]

PALGN

Fun accessible gameplay, coupled with enough options to keep its life cycle ticking over makes Anno 1404 one strategy title that we highly recommend.

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Worth Playing

With accessibility its central focus, Related Designs has done an admirable job with Dawn of Discovery to allow the player to tackle things when he wants to rather than making unforgiving demands with unclear deadlines or obstacles.

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Eurogamer

Anno's pastoral, languid style will undoubtedly frustrate some, and those seeking breakneck excitement or a complex military framework would do well to look elsewhere, but if a gentle and rewarding management sim with a hint of tropical sunshine is what you're after, then you won't go far wrong with this.

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Everyeye.it

Dawn of Discovery is a work of art. The game has a solid gameplay, superb technical features and requires only middle-class hardware to work properly. However, the lack in multiplayer features is a minus to the global quality.

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Multiplayer.it

The game is very well devised with a deep and challenging management core. It also has beautiful visuals, but to enjoy them you have to play the game with a powerful high end PC. Unfortunately not all the features are well implemented, the battles are a little bit cheesy and pre built villages in the campaigns remove all the progress made in the previous missions.

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Meristation

Explore new worlds with this installment in the Anno series. This game presents amazing visuals and use strong gameplay that will allow players to explore the new world. It lacks online modes, but it's a great strategy and simulator game.

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GameShark

Once you get a continuous game going to the point you are bored with it, there isn’t much incentive to being a new continuous game, even on a higher difficulty level. It will take you tens of hours to see all the content available to you, and once you do there’s not a lot of reason to go back and see it again.

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PC Zone UK

It might sound trite, but if you like god games there's nothing here you won't have seen before. [Sept 2009, p.70]

Total PC Gaming

Charming, gorgeous and fun - though too stale for strategy hardcores. [Issue#23, p.59]

PC Gamer UK

There is a certain charm to Anno 1404's dinky people going about their business, and a lot of pretty detail to revel in, but this familiar collection of well-worn elements only preaches to the converted, offering little to attract new believers.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 8.7 (out of 10) based on 67 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Zoidenberger gave it a6:
A game which is entertaining for a couple of days, before becoming boring. There is very little variation between games and combat is very poorly implemented. May entertain fans of the genre, but this game's depth is superficial.

Jess gave it a9:
Very easy for beginners and casual gamers to get into. The graphics are nice, the story believable, and it's definitely a lot of fun.

killswitch1968 gave it a6:
Dawn of Discovery is a traditional 4X RTS game, with a decreased emphasis on combat and al ot of complicated involved city building. The biggest problem with the game is the constant feeling that you're lacking control. Even with intense micromanagement you will struggle to keep things running smoothly and you have to fiddle all the time with redundant boring tasks. And that's only if you can figure out the cause of your problem. Frequently things are happening automatically that you simply cannot diagnose. Why am I losing money when my income is supposedly green? Why do I keep losing linen-shirts when I have 3 weaver plants running and I'm not selling them? Why does this mine keep getting overstocked with ore when I have a trade cart right next to it? With some improved control schemes and diagnostics there is a robust, even fun strategy game under all this. Without it, you just get a frustrating mess.

Christian W gave it an8:
This is the best Anno since Anno 1602, the first of the series. It does everything right. The complexity of having to handle to different societies at the same times doesn't leave much free time, which is exactly as it should be. The one thing I'm missing is Multiplayer. It's been nice in previous installments of the game to see who gets his empire going faster. -2 Points for that ommission.

Kristian L. gave it a10:
This is the best empire builder game I've ever tried. There's nothing bad to say about this game. It even corrects all of the small annoyances that were found in Anno 1701 from 2006. The graphics are immense, and the fact that you can't let this game go and you have the opportunity to play from now on and until the end of time, makes this the best of the best. So many great features. I am in awe.

Dragutin D. gave it a10:
This game is amazing. The chains of resources require branching out to different islands and setting up complex trade routes, making each game really feel like you're accomplishing something near the end. This is the first single player game that has sucked me in as much as an mmo - I'm not that excited when I start the game up, but then 6 hours later I'm like o god I need to eat. I fully recommend this game, it is awesome!

Aaron gave it a10:
A beautifully crafted and thoroughly addicting game. That anyone would complain about the overall lack of combat is absurd. Also ignore the comments about the lack of hand-holding, step-by-step instructions; the campaign tells you what you need to know and you'll figure the rest out if you have half a brain (don't bother if you don't, I guess). This is a truly fantastic game. I only wish the multiplayer was included as with the last game, but I've had so much fun with the singleplayer that I suppose I haven't missed it much anyway.

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Dawn of Discovery

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What The Critics Said

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